CIVETS, MACHAIRODONTS, AND CATS 



171 



it is a veritable 

 double-edged 

 saw - blade. This 

 probably was the o 

 species of sabre to 

 that was seen by the 

 inhabitants of Britain. It 

 not larger than a leopard, however. 

 The configuration of the skull of 

 these British Machairodonts (more 

 so than in the extreme South American 

 developments of the same genus) cer- 

 tainly resembled in a superficial way 

 the skull of the tiger quite sufficiently 

 to justify the name first applied to them 

 "sabre-toothed tigers," but none of 

 European species, except, perhaps, 

 cultridens, was equal to the tiger in size, 

 resemblance to the tiger is largely due to parallel- 

 ism, and not to any close affinity of descent ; for 



Examples of Upper Canine Tooth in Lion and in two Machairodonts. 



Teeth are drawn natural size. 



1. Upper canine tooth of Lion (^^/I'f /w) ; 11. oi Machairodus Uitidens \ ill. oi Machairodus cultridtns. 



